This basic outfit combines two of the warmest pieces in my
wardrobe. I found this Ann Taylor skirt at Savers thrift shop for $3 a
while back, and liked the thick 100% wool and quality. It's probably
my only success story ever with shrinking a wool item in the dryer. Due to the
texture, any damage made to the material by the dryer was not visible (unlike these poor J.Crew pants or this thrifted skirt, which now look faded and worn). I kept opening the dryer at 15 minute intervals to check on progress, before finding success in the fit. It shrunk almost 2" in width, and 1" or so in length.
For running errands and on the weekends, I've been trying to stretch more wear out of work pencil skirts by rolling up the waist for a shorter, more casual length. This definitely creates some bunchiness at the waistline and hips, but can be concealed under a longer, thicker sweater and/or a roomy jacket.

Several readers brought up the issue of the rotating skirt, which I'll take a stab ataddressing soon. This picture reminded me of a similar problem that I hear about often - how to prevent belts from shifting off garments without belt loops. I mentioned this once to a guy friend and he was baffled about how or why a belt would be worn without belt loops : )

For those who enjoy wearing belts for non-utilitarian purposes, one way to keep it from shifting off a skirt is with double-sided fashion tape. This is also useful for keeping any extra length of belts from flapping around, if you don't want to pull it into a loop as shown here. One strip of tape can be cut up into at least two smaller pieces, but they're still pricey for what they are. Note: Do not substitute regular double-sided tape for use on clothing...I did that once and it left behind a sticky residue that wouldn't come out.

Readers - Any other solutions for the shifting belt strap, or recommendations on getting clothing tape for less?

nice look, jean. i like the skirt. it's great that you are able to make your work-wear more casual just by shortening the skirt or dressing it down with a casual jacket. that's a very good idea. i'll have to try this. ;)

I really like the pine green honeycomb sweater you got from J.crew! Everytime you wear it, it's one of my favourite parings :)! Also kudos for shooting in the rain! I also love the casual outfit with the GAP military jacket. I think I purchased the same GAP jacket a couple years ago :).

Unfortunately I don't have other belt tips. I've even thought of adding hidden snap buttons to belts instead of the double sided tape. (Btw, did you try goo gone for the sticky residue that was left when you used regular tape?)

I love this outfit on you. Different textures and patterns add an interesting touch to the outfit. I'd love to know how to avoid the shifting belt strap. The honeycomb sweater still remains one of my favorite items in my closet. Have a great weekend, Jean!

When I tuck my shirt into my skirt, I use safety pins as a belt loop. I use the big, quilting pins and use them to make a belt loop on the side seams (you can hardly see the pin this way), and then sometimes near the back zip. Works perfectly, but obviously, the belt has to be thin enough to loop through the safety pin.

the way you model this looks fab. However I bought the jumper from j.crew after I saw it on one of your earlier posts and the quality was disappointing. It was on the itchy side to wear and kept leaving fluff on everything else. I had to retire it so its in our local oxfam (charity) shop now...Is it too much to ask to have sweaters made with natural, non itchy fibers? you know quality wool or cashmere, silk...

Love your OOTD but noticed that your Gap army jacket was just a bit too long in the sleeves and you had to roll them up. I have the same problem with jackets and anything really that has a long sleeve, Im incredibly petite, only 5 ft tall. If you absolutely love army jackets and camo jackets (and who doesn't) please look at the Gap Kids selection because they are BEST! I purchased two; one army, one camo, both from the little boys department and they were amazing in the fit. All of the proportions were exact and I never have to tailor them like I would if they were the adult sizes. I love your site and your daily outfit and DIY inspirations!

I've always needed help on the rotating skirt issue AND the skirt-that-rides-up-when-you-walk-issue. I can't wait to see your post on the first issue.

Also, I've been using those really tiny/thin rubber bands for hair to hold my belts in place. I've been using black because that's what I have on hand but I'm sure the clear ones would work the best: http://www.amazon.com/Goody-Latex-Elastics/dp/B000LM2PXC/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1356141453&sr=8-16&keywords=clear+rubberbands

Granted, they do break sometimes but it's so helpful, especially when you don't want to tuck in the belt.

Hi Jean, thank you for this post. I don't work in a corporate environment so I find your casual/weekend outfit posts are more useful to me. I hope you'll post more casual outfits like these as I like to copy them. :)

Hi - your site is fantastic and the photos are amazing. Could you and/or your photographer bf maybe share some tips for taking such great photos? I appreciate the choice of backgrounds - a generally uniform colour with some details like the steps for interest - but I think what really makes them is your variety of poses which look so at ease and natural. Even when you're smiling at the camera it looks spontaneous! It's also interesting to see how they have developed since the earliest posts. Thanks

I have a fully lined pencil skirt. The outer layer is made of 100% wool. The lining is probably made of polyester. I tried your method of shrinking the skirt. The outer layer shrunk to a desired length and fit (well, kinda tight... but I am cool with it). But the inner layer doesn't shrink. Now I have to deal with altering the inner layer - lining. haha! It's quite funny looking now.